Fuel cell electrode

Abstract

A hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell including an electrolyte sandwiched between two catalyst layers or sheets, each catalyst layer or sheet being in contact with a porous electrode, in which one or several catalyst layers or sheets and one or several electrode layers or sheets interpenetrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fuel cell comprising an electrolyte sandwiched between two catalysts, each catalyst comprising one or several catalyst layers and at least two porous electrode layers, wherein the one or several catalyst layers and the at least two porous electrode layers interpenetrate, wherein the one or several catalyst layers and the at least two porous electrode layers alternate, and wherein the at least two porous electrode layers are connected along a periphery to form a contact extending beyond the one or several catalyst layers. 
     
     
       2. The fuel cell of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two porous electrodes has a corrugated or rippled shape. 
     
     
       3. The fuel cell of  claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two porous electrode layers is a layer of a conductive material of a thickness smaller than 1 μm. 
     
     
       4. The fuel cell of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two porous electrode layers is a grid of a conductive material. 
     
     
       5. The fuel cell of  claim 3 , wherein the conductive material is gold. 
     
     
       6. The fuel cell of  claim 3 , wherein the layer of conductive material has a thickness from 0.2 to 0.6 μm. 
     
     
       7. The fuel cell of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst layers comprise between 40% to 45% perfluorosulfonic acid polymer. 
     
     
       8. A fuel cell comprising:
 an electrolyte layer; 
 alternating catalyst layers and electrode layers disposed on the electrolyte layer, wherein the electrode layers include at least two electrode layers connected along a periphery to form a contact extending beyond the catalyst layers. 
 
     
     
       9. The fuel cell of  claim 8 , wherein the catalyst layers comprise between 40% to 45% perfluorosulfonic acid polymer. 
     
     
       10. The fuel cell of  claim 8 , wherein the at least two electrode layers have a corrugated or rippled shape. 
     
     
       11. The fuel cell of  claim 8 , wherein the at least two electrode layers include a layer of conductive material having a thickness less than 1 μm. 
     
     
       12. The fuel cell of  claim 11 , wherein the layer of conductive material has a thickness from 0.2 to 0.6 μm. 
     
     
       13. The fuel cell of  claim 8 , wherein the at least two electrode layers are grids of a conductive material. 
     
     
       14. A method comprising the steps of:
 depositing an electrolyte layer; 
 depositing alternating catalyst layers and electrode layers on the electrolyte layer, wherein at least two electrode layers are deposited; 
 connecting the at least two electrode layers along a periphery to form a contact extending beyond the catalyst layers. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the catalyst layers comprise between 40% to 45% perfluorosulfonic acid polymer. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one of the at least two electrode layers has a corrugated or rippled shape. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14 , wherein depositing the at least two electrode layers includes depositing a layer of conductive material having a thickness less than 1 μm. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the layer of conductive material has a thickness from 0.2 to 0.6 μm. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the at least two electrode layers is a grid of a conductive material. 
     
     
       20. The fuel cell of  claim 1 , wherein the contact is thicker than each of the at least two porous electrode layers. 
     
     
       21. The fuel cell of  claim 8 , wherein the contact is thicker than each of the at least two electrode layers. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 14 , wherein connecting the at least two electrode layers along a periphery to form a contact further comprises interconnecting the at least two electrode layers to form a contact thicker than each of the at least two electrode layers.